Thill-coupling



(No Model.)

OWEN.

THILL COUPLIN Patented May 17, 1887.

shackle 4 and its nuts 5.

-lUNi-rnn dramas arnnr rrrcnt DEMUS J. OWVEN, OF LYNN, PENNSYLVANIA.

THlLL-COUPLING- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.363,254, dated May 17, 1887.

Application filed February 14, 1887. Serial No. 227,512. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, DEMUS J. OWEN, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Lynn, in the county of Susquehanna and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inThill-Oouplings; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference being bad to the aceompanying drawings, which form a part ofthis specification, and in which- 'Figure 1 is a perspective view of myimproved thill-coupling. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of thesame, and Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the coupling.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

My invention has relation to that class of thill-couplingsin which thethill-iron is secured to the shaft by means of a coupling-pin passingthrough the tl1ill-eye and secured in place by means of springs bearingagainst its ends, and in which the inner side of the thill-eye bearsagainst a yielding block or cushion, preventing rattling; and itconsists in the improved construction and combination of parts of such acoupling, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the axle, uponwhich the usual clip, 2, is secured, straddling and securing the mainportion 3 of the coupling by means of its The said main portion of thecoupling consists of a plate, 6, having a perforation, 7, for thepassage of the forward leg of the clip, and a longitudinal groove orrecess, 8, in its under side, and a notch or recess, 9, in its rear end,while the perforated ears 10, between which the thill-eye 11 is pivotedupon a bolt, 12, project from the forward end of the said plate. Theouter sides of the ears are formed with grooves 13, extending from atransverse groove in the upper side of the plate at the inner endsof theperforated ears, and extending from the said groove 14 to theperforations in the ears, and a spring, 15, is placed with its centralstraight portion in the groove in the top of the plate, and has itsends, which are bent at right angles to the central portion, resting inthe grooves and bearing with their ends in transverse grooves 16 in theends of the pivotal bolt, the said grooves forming continuations of thegrooves in the sides of the ears, so that the ends of the spring mayserve to retain the said boltin place in the ears and thill-eye.

A recess, 17, is formed in the body portion of the coupling between theperforated ears, and a block, 18, of rubber or similar yieldingmaterial, is placed within this recess and bears against the thill-eye,preventing rattling. The shackle 4 rests and fits in the groove orrecess in the under side of the plate, and has an upwardly-projectingportion, 19, at its rear end, which portion projects up into the notchor recess in the rear end of the plate, and has a vertical perforation,20, through which the rear leg of the clip passes; and the forward endof the shackle has a longitudinal slot, 21, for the passage of theforward leg of the clip, and has transverse grooves in its upper face,with which grooves 22 it may fit upon a transverse rib or tongue, 28, inthe forward end of thegroove or recess in the under side of the plate,the said grooves and rib and the slot for the leg of the clip admittingof the coupling being used upon axles of different thickness, as theshackle may be slid out or in in the groove or recess, according to thethickness of the axle, and be secured by means of the rib engaging thetransverse groove, which is brought to register with it, when the nutmay be screwed home and the shackle is held in place.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States 1. In a thill-coupling, thecombination of a plate clipped to the under side of the axle, and havinga pair of perforated ears projecting from its forward end and atransverse groove in its upper side, and two grooves in the outer sidesof the ears, extending from the ends of the transverse groove to theperforations in the ears, a thill-eye, a pivotal bolt passing throughthe perforations of the ears and through the thill-eye, and havingtransverse grooves in its ends, and a bail-shaped spring having itscentral portion resting in the transverse groove, and having its endsresting in the grooves in the sides of the ears,

and bearing with the ends in the grooves in the ends of the pivotalbolt, as and for the purpose shown-and set forth.

2. In a thill-conpling, the combination of a plate having the thill-eyepivoted at its forward end and formed with a longitudinal groove orrecess in its under side, having a transverse rib in the forward end andformed with a notch or recess in its rear end, a clip passing throughthe plate with its forward leg and having nuts upon the lower ends ofits legs, and a shackle having a perforated and upwardly-projectingrearportion fitting in the notchor recess in the rear end of. the plate,

and having the rear leg of the clip passing through it and formed withtransverse grooves in the forward end of its upper face fitting upon therib in the groove or recess in the plate, and having a slot in itsforward end for the passage of the forward leg of the clip, as and forthe purpose shown and set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own Ihave hereunto affixedmy signature in presence of two witnesses.

, DEMUS J. OWEN.

Witnesses:

ELMER E. J oHNsoN, L. R. LYMAN.

